Cinderella

I was three when the movie version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella was made, starring Lesley Ann Warren as Cinderella. I don't know how I old I was when I first saw it on TV, but it aired every year, as did The Wizard of Oz, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, The Sound of Music, and many other favorites. I suspect I was about four or five when I first saw it. But to me, THAT version is the quintessential Cinderella. As an adult, I saw the Julie Andrews version (1957), but as much as I love Julie Andrews' acting, she did not outdo Ms. Warren. The animated Disney version was cute, but the Disney version starring Brandy was horrid, because Brandy brought an air of haughtiness to the character that was never a part of MY Cinderella.

MY Cinderella, though she was in a tough situation and was treated poorly, never gave that attitude back. She remained respectful of her elders and obedient. She was kind to those who were not kind to her. Nevertheless, she never let them tromp on her dreams. She was my ideal. She taught me that people can control your environment but they cannot control your mind.

She had faith that her kindness would be rewarded and that her inner beauty would be seen. When she meets the prince for the first time, she offers him a drink of water and he says, "Thank you most kindly." And she replies, "You are most kindly welcome." When she meets him at the dance, the same lines are exchanged and he vaguely remembers them. Then, when he comes around to her house with the slipper and she is made to go outside and not be seen, she is in despair, thinking she will never see him again, but offers him a drink of water and he again says, "Thank you most kindly" and she replies, nearly in tears, "You are most kindly welcome, Your Highness." At that point it is the kindness that he recognizes, not her beauty. And then he remembers, "We have spoken these words before...Not only here, but in a moonlit garden." To me, this is the culmination of all her hopes and dreams--the answer to "Do I love you because you're beautiful, or are you beautiful because I love you?"--It is her kindness he sees, not her lovely fairy-godmother-crafted gown, not her breeding, not her family, not her education. It's what is on the inside that makes her beautiful to him.

This is the palette of my dreams growing up. This is the standard by which my hopes were set. She didn't have to be sassy to get her way. She didn't have to be unkind and stand up for her rights. She just held to her guns and tried to be kind, and in the end her dreams came true.

And this is the essence of my fairy tale with God. I remember being a teenager and listening to Second Chapter of Acts, singing from Revelation 19, "On a white horse riding is He, incorruptible. He is called faithful and true. He rules in power and wages war in righteousness, holiness and justice and uprightness. His eyes blazing like fire, and on His head many kingly crowns. He is dressed in a robe of red, by dipped in blood, and He is called the Word of God."

Wow, Christ is my Prince Charming, white horse and all!! But not only that, just like Cinderella's Prince, he sees what's on the inside of me. He treasures who I am on the inside. And he knows me! "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight." (1 Peter 3:3,4)

He understands all the times that I have been kind to those who have not been kind to me. "...Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 'He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.' When they hurled insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats."

(1 Peter 2: 21-23)

I could never have imagined the Prince who came to my rescue, riding on a white horse. Of lowly birth I may have been, rejected by some, wounded by some...my story is no different than yours; but Behold! He comes!!